There are two types of cleanings: wet cleaning and dry-cleaning. Wet cleaning uses a gentle washing machine, biodegradable soaps and conditioners, and pressing and re-shaping equipment that may be specialized for many different fabric and fiber types. Wet cleaning is generally environmentally friendly, but delicate fabrics such as wool, silk, linen, rayon, leather, dry only fabric, or the like cannot withstand the rough and tumble of a washing machine and clothes dryer. Thus, dry cleaning is used for such delicate fabrics.
Dry cleaning has the advantage of eliminating labor-intensive hand washing and uses a chemical solvent such as tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene) because perchloroethylene has excellent cleaning power and is stable, nonflammable, and gentle to most garments.
However, perchloroethylene is a toxic carcinogenic substance and dry cleaning generates other hazardous wastes such as sludge, cooked muck, filters, chemical solvents, etc.
Therefore, wet cleaning is preferable to dry cleaning, but delicate fabrics are not suitable for wet cleaning because they can be damaged or fabric deformation or shrinkage may occur during wet cleaning. Delicate fabrics may be damaged or deformed while getting rotated, fell, twisted, or tangled in a washing/drying machine.
Accordingly, to solve the above problems, a need for a partitioning apparatus for a washer/dryer combination to be used to wash and dry delicate fabrics has been present for a long time considering the expansive demands in the everyday life. This invention is directed to solve these problems and satisfy the long-felt need.